The present invention relates to a novel chewing gum product and to a composition and process for making the same. More specifically, the present invention relates to the preparation of a novel chewing gum product having desirable chewing quality from a substantially dry, semifluid batch material which may be readily formed into any desired shape. The batch material may include a plurality of different coloring and/or flavoring additives, with the additives being distinctly discernable in the finished product.
In U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,784, which is commonly assigned with the present application, there is described a chewing gum product composed of dry, finely divided sugar and essentially water-free chewing gum base, with conventional chewing gum flavoring and coloring additives incorporated therein. In preparing this patented product, dry powdered sugar (preferably of a particle size such that at least about 95% passes through an 80 mesh screen) is mixed with essentially moisture-free chewing gum base until the powdered sugar is completely dispersed in the chewing gum base. The resulting product is a dry, non-tacky, friable, free-flowing material which is formed into a desired shape under relatively high compressive force, in a conventional tableting machine. The compressed, finished chewing gum product is disclosed as having excellent chewing qualities, and possessing other desirable properties, including resistance to moisture and oxidative-deterioration and enhanced flavor characteristics, as compared to conventional chewing gum products.
The substantial elimination of water from the gum product of U.S. Pat. No. 3,262,784, as briefly described above, represents a significant departure from the approach generally employed in making chewing gum products. Chewing gums, including adult chewing gum and bubble gum, are typically prepared by mixing heated chewing gum base, an aqueous sugar syrup (principally corn syrup or glucose), dry sugar (sucrose or dextrose) and a flavoring additive. The aqueous syrup has generally been regarded by those skilled in the art as a necessary component insofar as conventional commercial manufacture is concerned. The batch material discharged from the mixing vessel is a tough, taffy- or dough-like mass containing from 3 to 5 percent, by weight, of moisture, and is formed into the finished product by extrusion or rolling, and scoring or cutting. Moreover, conventional chewing gum products are sensitive to atmospheric moisture, requiring wrapping of each individual piece in a moisture-resistant wrapper, or providing the pieces with a moisture-resistant coating. Conventional chewing gum products also possess poor resistance to oxidative-deterioration.